Print devices have increased in number and geographic footprint throughout the world and have become increasingly connected to networks. These networks can include a print server. Typically, when one or more documents and/or other print data are scheduled to be printed, the print data is either directly sent to one print device, or sent to a print server.
The networks can include many print devices. Some or all of the print devices can have different features, functions, and capabilities. For example, some print devices print in color, while others do not. As another example, some print devices are equipped with duplexing hardware that allows printing on both sides of a sheet of paper, while other print devices can only print on one side of a sheet of paper.
Several different network communication protocols and channels can be used to manage and utilize large numbers of print devices. Once a print device is installed, typically the print device's specific remote network (e.g., Internet) configuration remains unchanged while the printer is in service.